Different markets and different shaped recoveries...

Good piece from Forbes about the recovery of different real estate markets...

Market corrections follow three basic recovery patterns: a V-shaped recovery where a market experiences a sharp, fast decline but comes out strong once it hits bottom; a U-shaped recovery, where prices decline gradually and recover slowly; and an L-shaped pattern, a hard, fast fall with a paltry price bounce-back after the market trough.

The differences between a V-shaped market and a U-shaped one have to do with barriers to growth. High vacancy rates and high investor share can hurt a market, but if the local economy remains strong and housing stock affordable, it's only a matter of how long it takes to absorb the excess inventory.